So I saw this video about Jon Jones’ deadlift style blowing up online. Everyone’s screaming it’s magic, so obviously I had to test it myself before my next gym session. Pulled up the clip, grabbed my notebook, and got ready to butcher the movement pattern.
The Starting Setup Disaster
First attempt? Total faceplant. Tried planting my feet extra wide like Jones, shoulders pushed way back like the coach said. Felt like a drunk flamingo. Lifted the bar and my lower back screamed bloody murder. Dropped that shit immediately. Realized my stance was TOO damn wide—turned my legs into wet noodles instead of power pillars.
Tweaking the Grip Circus
Round two: narrowed my feet a bit, focused on shoving my hips down like sitting on a toilet. Used mixed grip like the video showed, but crushed the bar too hard. My forearms burned out before I even lifted! Switched to hook grip and nearly cried. Settled for light chalk and pretending my hands were just meat hooks.
The Chest Pop Revelation
Okay, third try. Coach kept yelling “CHEST UP!” on video. So I puffed my ribs out like a rooster. Boom—suddenly felt my whole spine lock tight. Lifted slow, kept the bar scraping my shins (RIP leggings), and actually felt power coming from my legs instead of my crumbling spine. Weirdly natural once my chest wasn’t collapsing.
Survival Reps & Ego Check
Managed three shaky reps at half my usual weight. Didn’t care. Felt my glutes firing and hamstrings stretching for once instead of my back doing all the work. Key takeaways smashed into my thick skull:
- Wider than normal—but don’t look like you’re doing splits
- Chest higher than Everest before pulling
- Bar glued to legs—scrapes mean you’re winning
Still dunno why it works so smooth for Jones. Maybe dem freakish long arms. But copying just his setup cues? Damn. My spaghetti back finally quit whining. Worth looking like a confused crab for 20 minutes.
